Oyagaku Textbooks

If charity begins at home, then one can say education begins there too.

Becoming a parent adds new dimensions to one's life, and new challenges as well, such as the responsibility for a child's education. However, how many parents are up to this particular challenge? Who is helping the parents cope with the educational demands on their children?

In Japan, an organization called the Association to Promote Parental Education (Oyagaku Suishin Kyokai) holds training seminars for parents throughout the country. Parents are taught the skills of how to support their children's educational needs at home. The seminars encourage parents to get more actively involved with understanding the child's educational needs, such as getting acquainted with school textbook material, taking a more active interest in their child's school and meeting teachers.

Basically, the oyagaku approach teaches a cooperative partnership between parent, child, and school to maximize a child's educational experience at all levels. Parents are taught new skills that provide a supportive home environment for the child's learning process. It is thought that a parent must understand at the heart level the deep importance of education for a child. By achieving this fundamental connection with the child, the parent is better able to encourage joy and excitement in the child's pursuit of everyday studies.

In many cases, this means taking a fresh look at what it means to be a parent. Oyagaku seminars are open to all adults and future parents who want to understand the importance of engaging with children and schools in the educational process. Important issues considered at oyagaku events are: a) What is a parent? b) What are the needs of a parent? c) How can a parent communicate better with his or her children?

Much of the approach is based on the methods of Oxford University professor Jeffery Thomas, who started with the concept that parents should know better how to facilitate a child's education. Professor Thomas visited Japan several years ago to give lectures about the subject, and since that time there has been a strong, growing interest in his ideas and how they can be applied to the Japanese context.

There is now a oyagaku school that publishes parental education materials, and gives seminars to the public on these issues. The school also offers a course through which people can become "Parental Education Advisers." Part of this course is based on family therapy ideas and the concept that "If parents change, then children will change too." Graduates get involved in local communities, teaching parental education through study groups that, for example, help parents develop better communication skills to work with their children. Fathers' and mothers' responsibilities are clearly defined and discussed. Further, a phased discussion of the child's changing educational support needs are described, from childhood to adolescence. The Oyagaku organization's work is supported by grants from The Nippon Foundation.